THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF ANTHONY SOWELL’S DEATH SENTENCE (FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 2011)

Today is the first anniversary of Anthony Sowell’s death sentence. I will write a post from Wikipedia before giving my comments about him.

Sowell in the wanted flyer

 issued by the Cuyahoga 

County sheriff office, 

November 2009.

Background information

Also known as The Cleveland Strangler

The Imperial Avenue Murderer

Born August 19, 1959 (age 52)

Conviction Death sentence for murder

Killings

Number of victims 11

Country United States

State(s) Ohio

Date apprehended October 31, 2009

Anthony Edward Sowell (born August 19, 1959) is an American serial killer, identified in press reports as the "Cleveland Strangler". He was arrested in October 2009 as a suspect in the murders of eleven women whose bodies were discovered at his Cleveland, Ohio, duplex at 12205 Imperial Avenue, located in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. 

Sowell was charged with 11 counts of murder, rape, and kidnapping; he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but later changed his plea to simply "not guilty". On July 22, 2011, he was convicted on all but two counts against him, including the murders of the eleven women whose bodies were found in his house in 2009. On August 10, jurors recommended the death penalty for Sowell. On August 12, Judge Dick Ambrose upheld the jury's recommendation.

Early life:

Anthony Edward Sowell was raised in East Cleveland, one of three children born to single mother Claudia "Gertude" Garrison. Seven other children belonging to Sowell's sister also lived in the household, having moved in after the death of their chronically ill mother. According to Sowell's niece, Garrison subjected the siblings to physical abuse while her own children watched from adjacent rooms. In one incident, Garrison forced her to strip naked in front of the other children, then whipped her with electrical cords until she bled. Sowell himself began raping his ten-year-old niece on an almost-daily basis for two years, starting at the age of eleven.

Military service:

At the age of 19, Sowell entered the United States Marine Corps on January 24, 1978. He attended recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, then was further trained as an electrician at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. On July 13, 1978, he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, also in North Carolina. In 1980, Sowell spent a year overseas with the 3rd Force Service Support Group, then returned to Cherry Point. He was then ordered to Marine Corps Base Camp Butler in Okinawa, Japan on January 20, 1984. A year later, he transferred to Camp Pendleton in California for three days until his discharge on January 18, 1985. During his seven-year Marine Corps career, Corporal Sowell received a Good Conduct Medal with one service star, a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, a Certificate of Commendation, a Meritorious Mast, and two Letters of Appreciation.

Discovery of bodies and arrest:

In September 2009 Sowell invited a woman he knew to his home for a drink. On September 22, 2009 she reported to police that after a few drinks, he became angry, hit her, choked her and raped her as she passed out. On October 29, police arrived at his home with a warrant to arrest him for the alleged rape. He was not there, but they found two bodies on the floor in the living room. He was located and arrested two days later.

The bodies of four other women were found throughout the home, buried in a shallow grave in the basement and in crawl spaces in the house. After digging in the backyard, investigators found three more bodies and the remains of a fourth. Police also found a human skull in a bucket inside the house, which brought the body count to eleven.

At the time of his arrest, Sowell was 50 years old. He had been living at that location for four years. He was held on $6 million bond. His trial was repeatedly delayed: first to February 14, 2011 at the request of Sowell's defense attorneys who requested more time to prepare, and later to May 2 at the request of the prosecution due to scheduling conflicts. 

Aftermath:

After Sowell's conviction, his former residence at 12205 Imperial Avenue was demolished on the order of city leaders. Sowell resides on death row at Chillicothe Correctional Institution.

Victims:

On November 5, 2009, the first of the eleven victims was identified as Tonia Carmichael, a 53-year-old African American woman who disappeared more than a year earlier. Her body was found buried in the backyard. She appeared to have been strangled and was identified through the use of DNA evidence. Her mother had reported her missing in December 2008.

On November 5, 2009, the second victim was identified as Telacia Fortson, a 31-year-old African American woman who disappeared five months earlier. Although she had been missing since June, her mother did not report her missing until she heard the news coverage regarding the dead bodies discovered in Sowell's home.

On November 8, 2009, three more bodies were identified. Crystal Dozier was a 38-year-old African American woman who went missing in May 2007. Dozier, the mother of seven children, had a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She lived in the area where her body was discovered. Her family reported her missing to the Cleveland Police Department. This was not the first time she had gone missing, and the family accused the police of failing to investigate. The family took it upon themselves to post fliers and call hospitals.

Amelda "Amy" Hunter was a 47-year-old African American woman. Hunter, a beautician and a mother of three, had a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She did not live in the area where her body was found, but she did visit frequently. A previous injury left her unable to use one of her arms. Her family did not report her missing until after police began removing bodies from Sowell's house.

Michelle Mason was a 45-year-old African American woman who was last seen in October 2008. She was a mother with a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She lived in the area where her body was found. According to records, the police conducted a full investigation when her family reported her missing.

Records of missing persons going back to Sowell's June 2005 release from prison are being searched and DNA testing is being conducted on the bodies found at Sowell's house. Protesters holding posters of missing loved ones have gathered outside his home.

East Cleveland police are also reopening several cold cases from the late 1980s. The murders by strangulation used a similar modus operandi and stopped when Sowell was arrested in 1989. The FBI is gathering information to see if Sowell may be linked to unsolved cases in cities where he once lived.

Comments:

            I am not racist and I care for all murdered victims and their families, regardless of their race. Abolitionists in America that wants the public to believe that the death penalty is racist because they claim that when the victim is white, they receive the death sentence more than when the victim is black, should read on what Anthony Sowell did to 11 African-American women and also hear Roy Curry’s statement when his brother, Everett Curry together with Eddie Brooks were murdered by Edwin Hart Turner on 12 December 1995. Edwin Hart Turner was executed by lethal injection in the State of Mississippi on Wednesday 8 February 2012. Here are lists of articles to debunk the claim by the late Professor David Baldus that the death penalty is racist, please click here.

           It was an excellent idea to demolish the house of Anthony Sowell. It is good to destroy the House of Horrors, as it reminded me of John Christie at 10 Rillington Place in London. The house was demolished later, and the area has changed beyond all recognition.

I personally wonder why the abolitionists did not campaign for his release like they did to Troy Davis the Georgian Cop Killer like displaying T-shirts with the words, ‘I AM TROY DAVIS’. Why did they not wear T-shirts engraved with the words, ‘I AM ANTHONY SOWELL’? I believe that there are some murders that are so heinous that even opponents of the death penalty will remain silent.

Please click on this blog post to hear the impact statements of the victims' families.